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Charlie’s dreams of making a career in baseball had died with his car accident. But Will had fulfilled the town’s lofty expectations. He had returned with his law degree, took a job working with the mayor, and started planning his wedding to Meg Fields, his childhood sweetheart. His life had been going according to plan.

Then the fog at the Firelight Festival changed everything. 

Charlie was so fixated on finding Will that it took him a moment to realize there was more activity in the town square than normal. When he lifted his head, he was surprised to see a jeep full of uniformed men unloading painting supplies. He stumped his way over to the crowd surrounding the truck, where his neighbor Norine stood giggling with her two friends. 

“Hey,” he said. “What’s going on?”

Norine turned to him, her mouth a small
oh
of surprise, which quickly transformed into a flirtatious smile. “Hi, Charlie.”

The two girls with her echoed her in unison. One of them seemed to be unable to stop giggling. 

“Yeah, hi. So what’s all this?”

“Well,” she said, with the air of someone about to dish, “You know the mayor’s been making noise about sprucing up the square. But since we had to repair the fountain there wasn’t room in the budget this year. So Col. Deacon volunteered his men to repaint the lampposts.”

“Aren’t they supposed to be clearing the rockslide?”

“The colonel has plenty of men to do both,” she said. “I heard from Mr. Powell, who heard it from Mellie Reynolds, the secretary in the mayor’s office. They’ve opened up old Fort Austen, in Mt. Desolation. The colonel is bringing in two hundred men.”

“Really? Why so many?”

“Why not?” Norine said with a shrug. “They’re going to replace the awnings next. And take over rebuilding the fountain. If the mayor has her way, we might just get a whole new town square by the time the rockslide is clear.”

“Is this what the army is doing these days? Sprucing up isolated towns just because they can?”

“Oh, Charlie, you’re such a grump,” Norine chuckled and laid her hand on his arm. “It is your leg? Does it hurt?”

“No,” Charlie said shortly. What, did she think he couldn’t stand for five minutes?

“Let’s sit down over there on the bench. After all, it’s only neighborly for me to take care of you.”

“I’m fine,” Charlie said, shaking her off. “I’m on my way to see Will Briggs at the mayor’s office.”

“Oh, but he’s not there.”

“What?” he said, halting to check his watch. “It’s only three thirty.”

“Mayor Watkins-Price sent him home. Too many people asking about the article in the paper this morning.”

Charlie scowled. “So he’s being punished because some said he’s got a superpower? That’s not fair.”

“Well, you can’t expect people not to be curious. The paper said he can teleport!”

“That’s hardly proof.”

“I saw him,” piped up one of the girls. Rhonda? She and her companion looked similar enough to be twins, and acted as if they shared one brain between them. 

“On the Fourth,” she continued. “He and Don Neilsen were fighting. It was like they disappeared and then reappeared in the middle of the fountain. I think that’s when it got broken.”

Charlie looked at the battered fountain. All the rubble had been cleared away, but it was still disturbing to see the gaping hole in the pool wall. Charlie had a sudden memory of playing with Will in that very fountain, chasing the mosaic fish around as the water splashed over them.

Will was the sort of guy who truly enjoyed all the town festivals, who volunteered for every charity. Charlie knew it would tear him apart, knowing he had even a small part in destroying a town landmark. Without another word to the girls, he turned and hobbled as quickly as he could to the car. 

“Bye, Charlie!” Norine called.

Charlie couldn’t remember if Will had tried to contact him over the last month. For most of the summer, Charlie had been taking every opportunity he could to transform into a mountain lion. That meant telling his parents he was spending time with his friends, and telling his friends that he was too tired to go out.

Now that he thought about it, Will had called a couple of times right after the Fourth. He had even come in to the library once while Charlie was working, but he had come during story hour and Charlie hadn’t had time to talk. Charlie remembered promising to call, but that night the sky had been so beautiful and the air so soft, he’d driven into the hills to transform instead.

Guilt dogged his mind the whole way out to the Briggs home in Highledge.

There was only one thing to do. He needed to tell Will that no matter what the paper printed about him, Charlie would stand by his side. 

And maybe it was time he came clean about his own power. If Will was going to face scrutiny and rumors, Charlie wouldn’t let him do it alone. 

Mrs. Dunder, the Briggs’ cook, answered Charlie’s knock. “Charles! What a surprise! We haven’t seen you around for a while.”

Charlie’s guilt deepened. “Is Will at home?”

A shadow crossed over Mrs. Dunder’s face. “He’s in his father’s study. Do you want me to get him?”

“Please.” 

“Why don’t you wait in the sitting room? I’ve got a fresh batch of cookies just about ready to come out of the oven.”

In short order, Charlie was perched on the velvet couch in the sitting room, eating a cookie as he waited for Will. The Briggs had a lovely home, but it was always so neat he constantly felt like he was tracking dirt on everything. 

He was picking a few of his cookie crumbs out of the rug when Will came in. “Charlie, good to see you. I see you made yourself at home.”

“Mrs. Dunder,” Charlie said as he rose painfully to greet Will. In addition to the plate of cookies, she had arranged a steaming pot of coffee and a bowl of fresh fruit on a pretty tray. 

“She’s a wonder,” Will said, pouring himself a cup of black coffee. He knocked it back like whiskey. 

Charlie decided to get right to the point. “I wanted to talk to you about what was in the paper this morning.”

Will’s shoulders tightened. “My father is investigating. He wants to sue the paper for libel.”

“Can he do that?”

“Probably not,” he said, settling into a chair. “But he needs to feel like he’s doing something. Clay and I were both listed in that article.”

“Is it true?”

Will looked at Charlie for a long moment, then sighed. “Yes, it’s true. Cora and Meg too. There’s a lot of us.”

“All the people listed in the article?”

Will nodded. “We’ve been meeting at the old mine to practice our powers. I’m sorry if I haven’t been around much lately.”

Charlie’s mouth twitched. “I was about to say the same thing.”

Will smiled weakly. “I wanted to tell you. I really did. But after the fight on the Fourth … the way people reacted, Clay and I figured we ought to lay low for a while.”

“But that was all Butch Murphy’s fault,” Charlie said.

“Sure, he started it. But we participated just as much as he did. We did just as much damage to the town, if not more.”

“You always did have that inflated sense of responsibility.”

Will didn’t smile, just looked at his hands. “This is my town. I want to protect it, not destroy it. That’s why I’ve decided to stop using my power.”

Charlie sat back. He had been about to tell Will about his own power. “What?”

“I’m thinking about going to the paper. Making a public vow that I will never use my power.”

“That’s crazy.” When Will shook his head, Charlie pressed him. “You’ll be setting a terrible example. You’ll make it sound like your power is some sort of sin that you have to abstain from.”

Will rose and went to the picture window that overlooked Independence Falls. “This town has always trusted me. Trusted my family. It’s important that I show them I’m committed to doing the right thing.”

“What about the people who saved Bill Goodman at the rockslide? They used their powers to do something good. You heard what the mayor said.”

“She sent me home today.” His voice was so low, Charlie could barely hear it. 

“Did she say why?” Charlie asked gently.

“She said that when the rumor mill starts spinning, the best thing to do is get out of the way.”

“See? It doesn’t have anything to do with you. She just wanted to give you some time to figure out your next move.”

Will sighed. Charlie couldn’t think of a time he’d seen his friend more despondent. 

“Remind me,” Will said. “Were you one of the people who got really sick after the fog?”

Charlie doubted that Will had actually forgotten. “You know I was.”

Will returned to the couch, keeping his eyes on Charlie. “Personally, I wish I had just kept my mouth shut about what I could do. You weren’t far off, calling it a sin. At first it was fun and exciting. But I didn’t realize how much I was hurting the people around me. My parents … my father is so stressed I’m afraid he’ll have a heart attack. And my mother hasn’t left her room since this morning.”

Charlie swallowed hard. “It doesn’t have to be a bad thing.”

“Still. If I could go back now, I would keep my power a secret.”

“Will—”

“Trust me. Even after what the mayor said, plenty of people in town are still suspicious of us. Some people are downright scared, and it’s not hard to go from scared to angry.”

Charlie studied Will’s face. “Are you saying you’re afraid?”

“I’m saying I don’t know what’s going to happen. I hope my reputation will outweigh people’s fears, but there’s no guarantee.” 

He twisted his class ring on his finger. Will had been class president, homecoming king, one of the top students. He had always been the golden boy of Independence Falls, and Charlie could see that it was killing him to be the object of suspicion. 

“Meg’s name was in the paper, too,” Will said quietly. “She would never hurt anyone, not deliberately, but her power is … she can’t really control it. If something happens—”

“Nothing is going to happen. Meg is the most level-headed girl I know.”

Will sighed. “I know. But she doesn’t need this. The stress, the scrutiny. If I could shield her from this, I would.”

“Hey,” said Charlie, prodding Will with the tip of his cane until Will smiled and knocked it away. “No matter what anyone else in town says, you’ve got my total support. I’m on your side.” 

Will’s eyes were serious. “I know that, Charlie. Just like I’m on yours. Take my advice—stay out of this mess if you can.”

CHAPTER TEN

Briar

Briar wasn’t feeling any better by the time she went to work at McPherson’s Supper Club that night. But Mr. McPherson had made it clear that a bright smile, like the stiletto heels and rib-crushing corset, was part of her uniform. 

It was Friday night, which meant more than half of Independence Falls was packed into the supper club. The three tiers of tables were populated by men in natty suits and women in colorful taffeta, who glowed under the three massive chandeliers that lit the room. 

She would have loved to be sitting at one of those tables, eating beef Wellington garnished with snow peas and onions. She would wear the dress she had seen in a magazine just the other day—maroon silk embroidered with dainty flowers, draped over a structured bodice and flared skirt—and clink champagne glasses with a handsome man. 

The first one to come to mind was wearing flannel, two days of stubble, and a scowl. Which made her scowl in response.

Charlie Huston had been rude to her, said mean things, and tricked her with his transformation. So why did her thoughts keep drifting in his direction? She kept imagining that moment in the woods, after he’d transformed into a man. He’d been standing so close to her, pumping warmth from his naked skin, and when his gorgeous eyes had dipped to her mouth she had thought for a moment that he might— 

“You should be circulating,” Old Man McPherson hissed in her ear, jolting her out of her reverie. He had perfected the art of dressing down his employees while keeping a pleasant smile on his face. “I’m not paying you to stand around and woolgather.”

“Yes, sir,” Briar said quickly.

“I had to light Mr. Briggs’ cigar just now. That’s your job.”

“Sorry, sir, I didn’t see him.”

“Well.” His eyes traveled down her uniform, and for a moment she thought he was ogling her breasts. Her cigarette girl uniform seemed designed for one thing only: giving lecherous men something to stare at while she lit their cigars. 

Then she realized that Mr. McPherson wasn’t staring at her cleavage. He was doing a mental tally of the items left on her tray. His disapproving gaze flicked back to her face. “Violet Miller managed to sell out every night, you know. You need to work harder if you’re going to live up to her example.”

“Violet was much prettier than I am,” Briar said matter-of-factly. 

“Now, that’s not true,” he said.

Briar wanted to roll her eyes at the tinny thread in this voice. Why would he lie when the truth was so obvious? 

“You just need to get more comfortable with the job. Now get out there and sell some cigarettes.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, forcing her smile back to life. 

“Goodness me, who is that coming in?” he said, looking over her shoulder. 

Other faces in the room had started to turn as well, and there was a current of excitement arcing through the room. Briar turned to catch sight of three tall men in starched military uniforms standing in the entryway with Mayor Watkins-Price. She pompously swept up to the host stand, ignoring the others who were waiting for tables. 

When the hostess looked around anxiously, Old Man McPherson huffed. “Of course we’ll seat them, you little twit,” he muttered as he swept toward the mayor with a welcoming smile. 

Sure enough, two busboys were soon lifting an extra table over diners’ heads and settling it in the center of the top tier. In seconds, it was dressed with a fresh tablecloth, crystal goblets, and heavy silver place settings. The people seated nearby gladly crowded their tables together to make space. It was a small price to pay for a chance to dine so near the army men.